A shortened Winter Olympics torch relay kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday as China’s capital gears up to host the Games against a backdrop of diplomatic boycotts and the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 1,000 torchbearers will carry the flame through competition areas in Beijing and the neighbouring city of Zhangjiakou — hosting events such as cross-country skiing and ski jumping — before the opening ceremony on Friday.
Audiences for the torch relay will be strictly limited with China encouraging people to follow the event online rather than try to catch a glimpse of the procession in person.
The first three runners in the relay were Luo Zhihuan, an 80-year-old former speed skater who won China’s first winter sport world title in 1963, astronaut Jing Haipeng and Chang’e 1 satellite de-signer Ye Peijian, according to Beijing Daily.
The torch’s journey to Beijing began in October with activists unfurling banners accusing China of human rights abuses at the flame-lighting ceremony in the Olympic spiritual homeland of Greece.—APP
